Besides providing information to help youth, drug testing provides collective information about overall juvenile drug use. By analyzing the results of substance tests, juvenile justice professionals can learn which substances are most commonly abused by youth in their communities, follow changing trends in the use of substances, and locate areas within a jurisdiction where youth are using illicit substances.

Drug testing also benefits juvenile justice professionals. Learning about substance abuse and having the technology to identify youth who are using these substances help staff intervene more effectively. Substance testing also has been popular with parents and community members who appreciate efforts to prevent substance abuse and help youth live prosocial lives.

The most important ingredient of a substance-testing program is what comes after the test results have been obtained—intervening with youth to help them stop using controlled substances. Every test should be followed by an intervention. Negative test results should be reinforced with rewards, praise, and other positive feedback, and youth should be challenged to continue to live substance-free. Youth with positive test results should receive graduated sanctions and treatment services, as appropriate. Without this followup, testing programs have little value and can be quite costly. It also is possible that failure to intervene with a youth who tests positive could increase an agency's and/or a professional's liability should the youth harm himself or herself or others because of illicit substance use.